Celtics beat Minnesota in overtime, 145-136

When last on the road, the Celtics returned home with back-to-back wins over Milwaukee and Oklahoma city, and the comforting promise of a season-long seven-game home stand awaiting them.

The experience was rougher and more excruciating than expected. But when the Celtics wrapped up the stretch with Friday’s 145-136 overtime win over Minnesota – a game, like the others, that found the Celtics at their best and worst defensively – they had least salvaged the 4-3 homestand.

They head out again, this time for road games in Denver, Portland, and Los Angeles against the Lakers. But at 27-26, they are also over .500 for the first time since March 16.

They struggled early against the Minnesota duo of Karl-Anthony Towns (30 points, 12 rebounds) and Anthony Edwards (24 points), but Jayson Tatum’s explosion for a career-high 53 points (16-for-25), and a bruising overall game from Marcus Smart (23 points, eight assists) fueled a comeback from a 17-point third quarter hole.

Kemba Walker also recovered from a 1-for-7 first half to turn in a near-triple double with 17 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.

Tatum missed a step-back 17-footer against a double team at the buzzer, sending the game into overtime in a 124-124 tie.

The Celtics opened with misses from Walker and Jaylen Brown, but Smart drew a charge on Towns, and Tatum dunked off a backdoor bullet pass from Rob Williams. Towns took the lead back from downtown, Walker missed, Towns missed, and Brown nailed a corner trey for a 129-127 Celtics lead.

Russell missed, Smart tipped the rebound to Tatum, and with 2:33 left Walker hit from downtown for a 132-127 lead.

Russell posted Walker for two, but Walker hit from the corner for a 135-129 Celtics edge with 1:48 left.

Russell broke free and at the expense of Brown converted a three-point play with 1:44 left in overtime, cutting the C’s lead to three.

But Tatum, isolated on Towns, was fouled attempting a 3-pointer and with 1:25 left hit all three for a 138-132 Celtics lead.

Russell missed, Tatum won the rebound, and with 47.6 seconds left Walker drove and found Tristan Thompson for a 140-132 lead.

Edwards scored with 45 seconds left, but Smart, fouled, hit one of two. Brown was fouled the next time down with 29.76 seconds left and  hit both for a 143-136 lead.

Smart finished it off by stealing a Russell pass.

Towns cut the Celtics lead to 122-116 with a 3-pointer, and following a Jaylen Brown miss, DeAngelo Russell hit again from downtown with 1:29, trimming the gap further to 122-119.

Tatum put up a late-clock airball, handing the ball back to Minnesota with 1:05 left, and Russell blew by Grant Williams for a layup.

But a Jaden McDaniels miss was what the Celtics desperately needed, with Walker grabbing the rebound and hitting Tatum for the fast break hoop and a 124-121 lead with 17.3 seconds left.

But Russell, guarded well by Grant Williams, banked a game-tying 3-pointer with 8.6 seconds left.

Tatum took the ball at the top of the circle and missed a step-back 17-foot attempt against a double team.

Tatum’s 17-point third quarter, combined with some mayhem-inducing hustle from Smart, cut the Minnesota lead all the way from a peak of 17 points down to five (97-92) by the end of the quarter.

Walker, 1-for-8 to this point, finished off a tough possession from 15 feet to start the fourth, and came back with a 3-pointer for a 97-97 tie that Hernangomez wiped out from downtown.

Pritchard drove to cut the margin to a point, and Walker also drove, was fouled, and hit twice for a 101-100 lead with 8:21 left.

Grant Williams’ pressure forced a Towns air ball and shot clock violation, but Walker missed in the same fashion. Grant Williams’ steal and out of bounds save on the next possession set up a Pritchard three for a 104-100 Celtics lead with 6:53 left, with Williams also assisting from under the basket on the play.

Anthony Edwards missed from downtown, and Tatum buried a 3-pointer off a Brown kick-out.  Towns scored, but Brown hit a tough step-back from the baseline. Towns hit from downtown as the pace accelerated, and Tatum buried his fifth bomb of the night for a 112-105 lead.

Towns, fouled by Tristan Thompson going after his own miss with 4:40 left, cut the Celtics margin to five (112-107) with two free throws.

Smart’s open trey was good for a 115-107 lead, and the next time down Tatum hit trey No. 6 for a 118-107 edge.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3dWuX4m